Hunter becomes the hunted

[Catherine]

This is not something I would normally post about, but bear with me. 

It is the story of a hunter who ultimately kills an animal, however it has a different twist. The man shot a bison, but not fatally so he tracked it. He followed its trail, but the Bison back tracked and hunted him. It did some damage too and the story could have ended differently. So a hunter experienced what it felt like to be hunted. The bison didn't just charge him, it chased him until they were both worn out. 
I think there was a moment where they were both tired and they could have walked away. That would make this a great story. Sadly the man grabbed his gun and shot the bison. Then he embraced the animal because he realized it was just trying to survive being hunted. There was a moment of understanding there and the man is through with bison hunting.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...aG5HiCsbWD


I don't know if being through with bison hunting means he is through with hunting. I don't know how far this incident will change the man.  What  does matter is the hunter actually understood what it was to be hunted and recognized what an animal experiences when they are hunted. There was a moment of empathy and he is willing to talk about it.

He killed his bison after 14 years and there wasn't a glorious triumphant picture of him with the body. There was a sadness for the bison. A lot of people are going to read this as an interesting story about something that turned out different than what was expected. This could make people think about hunting in a different way. The bison stopped being the object of a hunt and became another living being just trying to survive.  I am hoping this is one of those stories that sits in people's minds and makes them think just a little. I am hoping it changes the people involved in the story. If it does then the bison will not have died in vain.

[Tobi]

I think this is a very interesting post. Something  changed in that man. It may take him some time to give up hunting, and one never knows, he may stop tomorrow. But whatever happens, he has been moved by what happened.
Very often dramatic and moving incidents will definitely change people.

[Catherine]

I think if he tries to hunt anything again he will understand what he is doing to the animal and maybe he won't be able to do it. Or rather maybe he won't be willing to do it. I think you are right about things changing people. This has changed him and I wonder if it will change people around him.

I am wondering about how far reaching this will be. Many people who will read this as an interesting hunting story will actually be getting a much different message. Some people will be changed by reading the story.

I would love to hear what the man thinks after he has had time to think about things. He has a long winter ahead where he will be eating that bison. Every time he eats he will know the bison had to give up his life for this to happen. I wonder when it will occur to him that the bison had family too. That bison family wanted the bison to come back. This is the other side of hunting that hunters never consider. Once you start thinking about the animal you hunt it changes everything. At least I hope it does.